Posting this from DIA, en route to St. Paul, Minn., where the Avalanche plays the Wild on Thursday. I covered practice this morning and talked to a handful of players about the sad, sad saga that is Ryan O’Reilly and his relationship with what will probably become his former team. I have much more than I need for Thursday’s paper and online, so here a teaser — from defenseman Shane O’Brien:

“Everyone loves him in here. Great guy, hard worker. He’s one of my close personal friends and I love him like a little brother. But there’s a business side of the game and management has a decision to make and they’re going to make their decisions and we’re going to have to live with that, and Factor is going to have to live with that. That’s the business we live in.”

O’Brien said nobody in the locker room has talked negatively about O’Reilly and his holdout.

“He’s making a decision maybe he’ll regret. Maybe he won’t. It all depends on how it works out for him. It’s the bad side of hockey, the business side that no one likes. But I can see both sides of the dilemma . . . It’s gotten ugly. It sucks, definitely sucks, but it is what it is and we’re going to move forward as a group. We got a good group in here. We’re going to stick together, work our way out of this and hopefully start winning some hockey games.”

From the players I spoke to, I sense some relief that a trade for O’Reilly is in the works, although nobody said they have been told by management that he will be moved. Indeed, they would rather have him signed — this team is in desperate need of skilled forwards — but a trade could produce a top-six forward and a prospect.

Please look at Thursday’s paper for more about O’Reilly from his “former” teammates.

Not so glad to have two hockey writers who sing the same company song….

loudpipes

GMs around the league will be doing cartwheels when they see a 303 area code pop up on their caller ID. Suppose we’ll get Martin Skoula back along with a 5th round pick.

Jeru1975

At least Skoula scored a goal every now and then. OUCH!!!

Jon

I’d love to see the Caps flip Green & Johansson and a prospect for O’Reilly, O’Brien and a 1st rounder.

EnzoSin

Meh, whatever happens it better not be this years 1st rounder.

Skippy

This franchise is a joke! Cheap, bottom feeders.

Avsolutely

go somewhere else.

AvsFan13

Something has to be done to get this sorry excuse for management out of Colorado. Sell this team to an owner that cares and has some respect for the organization, players and fans. We have been watching this train wreck for too long, it is time it ends. Lacroix go away, you lost your touch years ago, Sherman count beans elsewhere, Sacco go back to the minors and start learning how to really coach a team. This dysfunctional group has done a number on this once proud organization. Fans keep speaking up, this management needs to be called out for their incompetence and frugal ways.

Dan

Sacco needs to go. We need an owner that actually cares about hockey. But I do like what Sherman has done (outside of this move). He’s brought in Johnson, Downie, MgGinn, Parentau, and a 6th overall pick. This O’Reilly thing might not even be his fault, no one know how much money Kroenke is actually giving him to work with.

Lynn

Hm have you watched the defensive core?

tcm

Sick of this crap, if this is how the management is going to be sell the team or get out, I already have to put up with the rockies low balling every player. They are going to blow their opportunity for success with these young stars because they want to stay $20 below.the cap

AvsNut

By the time this is resolved the Avs will be completely out of the playoffs and we will have another short season. That’s no playoffs 4 out of the last 5 years folks.

Of course, we could hope being $18M under the cap, they are working 27-7 to open the check book and sign a difference maker….Nah, no chance they would actually do something about winning now. Can’t wait to see what Sacco does with this team next season. Could he actually hit bottom this year?

Bill

Just more proof that the Avalanche management have no idea what they are doing. I’m a season ticket holder (4 seats) in the expensive lodge section, and if they don’t get Oreilly signed they have to find someone to replace me in the stands next season. I’ve had it with management and their failure to keep good talent so the team has a chance to actually compete.

I think I have much more important things for the Executive Branch of the government to be doing than dealing with a bunch of cry-babies. Congress has more than enough of those anyway.

Guest

no one cares about your job

Donna

Are you on crack?

Tomb

Top 6 forward! Do you remember who does the trades for the Avs?

Cougs_suck

I don’t suppose any of the players will actually give their honest opinions. It will be more of what O’Brien said “well O’Reilly is right, but so is the team” just a bunch of fluff no real substance. I want someone to be honest, whether they think O’Reilly is wrong or the Avs are wrong, it’d be nice to hear the truth. Of course if anyone dared to speak out against the Avs they’d be gone before O’Reilly was even traded.

“Of course if anyone dared to speak out against the Avs they’d be gone”
Including the members of the media who are supposed to be impartial.

Puck Me Up

Who wants to hear the sugar-coated version of what the players are telling the media about this BS decision? I know I don’t. Why even bother asking a guy who just got outta the doghouse (only because of Wilson’s injury) what he thinks about this situation? We already know what he and his teammates are gonna say.

AvsNut

Yeah good point. I’m sure Kroneke’s puppets will really tell us what they feel…right? Do you remember Qunicy trashing the Avs when he left for the Wings. We all criticized him then…maybe we should have pinned a medal on him.

Jim

There is simply no excuse to not sign O’Reilly. First, we have plenty of cap space, 18M to be exact! Secondly, he is our best all around forward on the team who hasn’t even come into his prime, third he is a hard worker and fan favorite for a franchise that is asking a lot of it’s fans to try to remain loyal. Who cares if he is paid more then Duchene…in two years if Duchene deserves a pay raise we can deal with it then! I mean that might be a good problem to have right??? If i went down the list of forwards you would want to build a franchise around I would be looking at O’Reilly, Landeskog, and hopefully Duchene…that’s it. The rest? I really don’t see any of them being guys to build around. So out of THREE guys we are getting ready to ship one off because we are afraid to spend some money? Disgusting!

Dan

+the team is also supposed to cornerstone around Johnson and Varlamov. O’Reilly doesn’t deserved $5 mil+ for 5+ years, but the Avs need to just give him close to that amount short term

AvsNut

I thought “the business side of hockey” was to win hockey games, not screw your fans.

Greg and Josh, are you paying attention? duh. More wins, the more fans in the seats, the more corporate and expensive tickets you can sell, the more you make in Avs merchandise, the more you can ask for advertising on Altittude. Investing equals more wins, more wins equals more revenue. Let the moths out of the checkbook!

Feel Me

Oh yeah, of course E.J. is out with a head injury, he got hit in the jaw!!!!! I don’t know why it was reported as a shoulder injury after the game. Wonder if that’ll be another one of those hits Shanahan simply overlooks.

AvsNut

An offer sheet for Factor would be sweet, a big fat one. Is that possible? Then the Avs either match or get zip. That would be my best laugh ever!

Smell the Glove

The Avs would get draft picks, depending on the money offered.

Lynn

Trade Lacroix. Ha who would take him!

CP4

If any of you follow professional, big-league hockey, why on earth do you pay attention to the Colorado Avalanche? They represent a totally irrelevant franchise, whose glory days are as far behind in the rear-view as those of the San Diego Padres. The Winnipeg Jets are more relevant to the NHL landscape than the CO Avs. Sorry that there is that goofball Pepsi can in the middle of LoDo, but that is clearly a hardwood floor (first) with a sheet of ice buried down in the basement. Move on and don a new sweater. Quit crying about management, yet continuing to attend games. Fork (in) them.

Feel Me

If I’m gonna start cheering for another team beside the Avs, it sure as hell won’t be for the Jets. They would have to pay ME to follow them.

Avsolutely

moderate this dp.

Fed Up

When, not if, they trade O’Reily, that is last straw in poor management. I surrender my season tickets and willnot spend one more dollar on this team. I will cheer O’Reilly wherever he goes. The Avs will be last place forever with This attitude. Sad to give up season seats but I have no respect for this management.

Ramon

I can tell you what we will get from the next dumb Sherman trade: a crappy mediocre 3rd line center or another useless D men and 1 or 2 prospects no one needs because the will never make it to the NHL! That would be a typically Sherman trade! What a great GM we have …

Nick

Heard that we could possibly get okpso and neiderreiter from islanders as nino requested a trade end of January an oksposo has not performed too well. I would mind snagging nino the kid has talent and can actually put the puck in the net

Flapjack

This would be pretty much the best possible outcome of this situation other than O’Reilly just signing the deal on the table.

Donna

Please AVS teammates don’t speak out on the O’Reilly situation. We are not stupid-contrary to what management thinks and know you are “limited” in what you can say. I’d rather hear nothing from you. Especially O’Brien who has just gotten out of Sacco’s doghouse. We will wait until he’s traded to find out the whole story from AD. If the story is true that the AVS used the captaincy to coerce O’Reilly into signing then a very serious line has been crossed. i think there is a word for this in the legal system and it’s called blackmail. I really hope that this is incorrect, otherwise a new low has been reached by management and boy is that a stretch these days. I wish O’Reilly the best and I’m sure he will shine wherever he ends up.

Jeru1975

Every time a very mediocre team like the Avs currently are say “they’ve got a good bunch of guys” or they have a “good group in here”, I can’t help but wonder what they’re talking about because it surely can’t mean a good bunch of “talented” guys. Of course, hockey players always say the right thing; especially when under the microscope of Avalanche management.

Jeru1975

Normally, I don’t do this but I have to defend the Avs. I’m sorry but O’Reilly is not anywhere near the money he is looking for and anyone who thinks he is, needs to work on their research skills. I’m not gonna get into specifics because Dater’s counterargument in the defense of the Avs says it all. What if the Avs sign him and that one good year turns out to be a fluke? Guess what, now you have another garbage contract to go along with Jones and Stastny. But I assume the same people who defend O’Reilly think the Jones and Stastny contracts are good.
HOWEVER, my previous statement is the ONLY area where I will defend the Avs. Everything else is complete BS. Sacco needs to be fired. How does he keep his job but Hartley gets fired one year removed from the Stanley Cup?!?! Jesus, if Sacco even sniffs the playoffs they’d probably give him a ten year contract!! But you know what rolls downhill, right? It starts at the top and I firmly place the blame on the Kroenke’s. Something happened along with way where they decided to treat the Avs like a leper. Its sad but true (unless you’re a Nuggets fan). So, ultimately, the Kroenke’s suck, which makes Sherman suck which makes Sacco suck which makes me hope they will sell the team (but stay in Denver).

Hockeyboy2

hahahaha im thoroughly amused at the amount of confidence that lies within this literary masterpiece. good thing that you are the only individual to get the notion that anyone in the locker room was excited or relieved to possibly see Ryan pack up n leave via trade. IMHO if colorado stays healthy, they just got a huge lift of spirits in the locker room and are going to make a stir in the western conference. great read, they should reprint the article in the sunday papers between garfield and blondie.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.

Chambers covers college and professional hockey for The Denver Post. He has written for the Post since 1994, after dumping his first 9-to-5 office job a couple years out of college. He primarily follows the University of Denver hockey team and helps cover the Avalanche.